THIS week won’t just see the return of any old beer festival. This is the Liverpool Beer Festival . . . probably the best beer festival in Britain.

The 2010 event – again organised by Liverpool’s Campaign for Real Ale and held in the wonderfully-atmospheric surroundings of the crypt of the city’s Metropolitan Cathedral – is the 30th to be held since 1974.

But why is it the best of its kind? Here are 30 reasons why the 30th Liverpool Beer Festival should be warmly welcomed:

1. It’s probably the only beer festival on the planet to be held in a cathedral.

2. It’s always an instant sell-out, making it the hottest ticket in town.

3. It attracts visitors from all over Britain and Europe – and from as far afield as America and Australia.

4. It’s now viewed as an essential part of the annual Liverpool Events calendar, alongside such popular and prestigious occasions as the Grand National.

5. Not only is it held in a cathedral, it’s held in the architectural splendour of the cathedral crypt, making it one of the most splendid settings in the world.

6. Visitors enjoying the various beers can often be seen looking up and marvelling at the skill involved in creating the vaulted beehive brickwork in the crypt’s ceiling.

7. The first Camra “Beer Exhibition” – held at the Everyman in 1974 – had 11 beers. The 2010 festival will have over 250 beers plus over 30 real ciders and perries.

8. The real ale is accompanied by real food, featuring fresh local produce served by local businesses – such as the award-winning Everyman Bistro.

9. It’s probably the only beer festival to feature a string quartet as part of the entertainment programme. The Marks String Quartet has played at the festival for the last four years.

10. More than just a festival, each year there is a campaigning theme around real ale – examples have included Women and Real Ale, Liverpool as a National Centre for Pubs and Beer Tourism and Liverpool – the Real Ale Pubs Capital of Britain.

11. It promotes Liverpool as a city and as a visitor destination.

12. The festival has been so successful it has been joined by a sister event later in the year – the Camra Liverpool Real Ale Pubs Festival, which runs for five weeks from September.

13. The main hall features a full-length stillage of over 250 beers, making a truly impressive sight for real ale lovers.

14. It generates massive media coverage and profile each year – reflecting well not only on real ale, but the city of Liverpool.

15. It flies the flag for Merseyside brewers and their beers with a Local Beers Bar featuring around 80 ales.

16. Such is the stature of the festival, it has attracted national sponsorship. For the last two years it has been sponsored by Caledonian Deuchars IPA, brewed by the Edinburgh-based Caledonian Brewing Company.

17. It hosts a regional judging heat to find the Champion Beer of Britain, the most prestigious award in brewing.

18. The theme of this year’s event is “Naturally Brilliant”, reflecting both the spirit of the festival the festival’s sponsor.

19. The sole survivor of over 40 breweries that once operated in Edinburgh, Caledonian won the Supreme Champion Beer of Britain Award for Deuchars IPA.Š It has launched a range of new seasonal real ales under the banner “Naturally Brilliant”.

20. The rich praise lavished on the festival by Wirral-born Steve Crawley, managing director of the Caledonian Brewing Co, means a lot, as he explains: “In my job I go to quite a few!”

21. This week’s event will also celebrate a national real ale renaissance – and the fact that real ale is proving to be an economic lifeline for pubs during the recession.

22. The festival gives beer lovers the chance to celebrate the achievements of Camra – in 1974, the first edition of Camra’s Good Beer Guide listed just nine Liverpool city centre pubs.ŠThe 2010 guide features 26 city centre pubs. And today, there are over 50 pubs in the city centre selling real ale.

23. Such is Liverpool’s reputation for real ale – thanks to the festival and the city’s pubs – it is known by many as the country’s Capital of Beer, or Capital of Real Ale.

24. In my former pub column, last year’s event was awarded the “Mother And Father Of All Beer Festivals” award – not least because it sold out in a record 65 minutes.

25. Part of the fun for many festival-goers is picking up their programme, checking the runners and riders – and drinking their way through some of the most imaginative/funniest beer names from breweries around the country, which have included: Liquid Lobotomy, Old Fecker, Pressed Rat and Warthog, Pigswill, Black Pudding Mild and Peroxide Punk.

26. The festival is a real labour of love – so raise your glasses to all the hard-working Camra volunteers who make it the success it is.

27. It gives beer fans an opportunity to rub shoulders with all the pub managers of the best real ale pubs in the city – and chew the cud about all things beer-related.

28. The festival has what must be one of the largest calls for last orders outside of the Munich beer festival!

29. It has become an unofficial annual party for drinkers who frequent Liverpool’s best boozers – meaning you spend half the night saying: “Look! It’s so and so who drinks in the thingymajig!”

30. The walk/stagger back down the hill into town for the last train is a godsend for those festival-goers who need a little extra help to get home, after a hard night giving thanks and praise for all those fine ales sent to the festival.

The Liverpool Beer Festival runs from this Thursday to Saturday – and yes, it’s sold out again.